Question

What are the answers to the history of aspirin: an old remedy reexamined

Answer 1

Thousands of years ago, a wise man lived in Greece. His name was Hippocrates, and he was widely

considered a knowledgeable man of medicine. One day, as he sat under a large shade tree to teach and write, a

man approached him, seeking medical advice for a member of his family. The man described the symptoms

that his family member experienced: fever, aches, and pain. Hippocrates gave the man some medicine: a

powder made from the bark and leaves of a willow tree.

Living in the 21st century, this medicine might sound strange to us. Bark and leaves? What possible

good could those do anyone? In many ways, it’s true that medicine has changed a great deal since the time of

Hippocrates. But in other ways, it hasn’t changed at all. After all, the medicine that Hippocrates prescribed for

his patient is something with which you are likely familiar: aspirin.